Cumbersome
by Nora Mutao Frost
Summary: Kino AU: Next Gen fic Finding a clone of both Danny and Zareth within the ruins of Dannys old sanctuary breeds disaster for Inkys great grandkids. Ryan Brookstone takes on the task of training this clone with the hopes that she'll be able to help them defeat their new found foe.
1. Chapter 2

**_Authors Notes: The first half of book 4 is in the afterward of Book 3. Read Zareth AU before you read this. It will not make any sense at all._**

 **Ryan and Deity Brookstone belongs to Asktheblindarcher**

 **Zareth belongs to GrumpyZane**

 ** _I own the rest_**

 ** _Disclaimer: I do not own Ninjago. It is a product of Lego._**

 ** _Please Read and Review_**

* * *

 ** _Cumbersome_**

 ** _Book 4: Stellar_**

 ** _Chapter 1_**

 ** _Graceful_**

My name is Kino,

And she has no idea where she's going.

Whose she you ask? This idiot walking around the train station jumping from poster to poster asking me dumb questions. Geez I was insane for allowing her to come with me.

Running my hands over my face I watch her turn to sniff the air. She ran toward a noodle stand.

"Kino...Kino, oh look whats this?" She asked. Now that proved she was dumb as a brick. Not only where there people around them eating noodles, but there was a large poster with it on the stand itself.

"Its food." I told her asking the cook for two bowl. I was rather hungry actually and the train wasn't due for at least another hour. So I picked up the bowl of noodles and walked over to a vacant booth. Sitting down and pointing for Hope to do the same. She picked up the chopsticks and looked at them. She looked over them and then looked up at me. She was very doe eyed. Very curious to boot. I hope I can keep her sitting down for the whole day on the train. Maybe she'll get bored and fall asleep like Danny and Inky used to.

That made my heart clamp shut. I looked down at the young girl in front of me as she started to poke at the noodles and grabbed hold of one and promptly sniffed it...which caused it to go up her nose. She...was happy about this. She laughed until I reached over and plucked the noodle from her nose.

"You don't eat with your nose. Do you see anyone else eating with their nose?" I asked. She pointed to a dog to my left.

For the love of Lloyd...this girl was going to make me pull my hair from my scalp by the time the day was done. She looked at the others around us looking at the chop sticks and shook her head grabbing the noodles and started to shove them into her mouth. Oh whatever...at least she's eating normally now. Danny...just what were you thinking? I needed to get this kid to Danika...quick...before she hurts herself.

Well at least she behaved herself on the train. She mostly kept looking outside the window. Talking about everything she saw and asking questions about everything. But then the problem started.

"Kino its so hot. Why do I have to wear this?" She pointed at the jacket I gave her.

"Because its inappropriate to wear nothing at all. Do you see anyone on the train naked?" i shouldn't have asked that.

"He's only wearing shorts." She pointed to a poster of people on vacation.

"Thats a picture of the beach...we aren't on the beach."

"Beach...a place where there's lots of sand, lots of water, and people gather for social activities such as surfing, building of sandcastles, volleyball, and bonfires." She looked up at me like I was some sort of information giver. Specially since she knew exactly what it was...the beach.

' _Must have been because my Dannygirl and I went there so much. She did love the beach a lot._ ' Zareths voice said within my head. They were always there, all of them giving advice, telling me what to do, being loud as hell. If i didn't see them as a harmonious song then I would have went crazy long ago.

"You have selective memory you know that don't you?" I said to Hope who just smiled and giggled. "Bottom line kid...don't take off your clothes. Its to cold outside."

I had to improvise with her after leaving the cave. She had very thin clothing there and not good for the wintery weather that frequents the area. So I had to give her my jacket. Which means I haven't got a jacket on and I look like an idiot. Luckily I'm nindroid.

Now I'm sure there are those of you who are unaware of what happened to Danny and Zareth after my Aunt Inky's journals stopped. What happened to Aunt Inky and what not? She got married to some guy named Ryan Brookstone. Whose Ryan Brookstone? Obviously Coles son...duh...but not the one from Danny and Zareths realm. Nope...its from a realm next door. Deity and Cole Brookstones son Ryan. I won't go to far into it. Its a story from another time and another place. Pfft and another realm too.

Aunt Inky and Uncle Ryan had kids...two. Danika Rose Brookstone became the number 1 in droid repair and the first person to understand and speak the droid language. Growing up around droids how can you not right? But then there was Julien Cryptor Brookstone who just like our Uncle Cryptor went into law enforcement. Was built just like both their grandfathers Cole and Dareth, and just as tall as Cole too!

But then there was Otto Zareth Darzuski who is Danny and Dareths second kid who is also my dad. Who is also a elemental master of melding...just like my eldest half...Kira.

'Wait..Kino...what are you talking about?' You'd probably ask. Well allow me to tell you.

Kira is my first half. The current master of melding. My second half is her younger twin brother Omino the current master of earth. Our mother is Persephone who is the Cole from our realms daughter. So confusing I know...just try to understand that Ryan is from a different realms Cole...a realm almost identical to ours...almost! Mom is from Zareths realm...okay...you got it...good.

Lastly there is Ryder our younger brother who stays at home like a good boy. Mostly cause our dragon of melding Malt won't let him go to far without her. She's a bit over protective. Okay majorly over protective.

Now where was I…?

Oh yeah Hope...where did she go? Oh great...she's hanging from the luggage racks…

"Hope get down fr…" The train hit its brakes quickly. This caused Hope to fall forward out of the racks and onto the floors. I'm sure her head will have a bit of a dent in it but she seemed to be fine when she back paddled into my legs. But what burst through the side of the train...I had never seen someone like that before. Hair down his back, glowing green eyes, razor sharp horns growing out of his back, claws like a tigers, just what is this t...he looked right at us.

"Hope...run...RUN!" he charged us. What the hell did we do? Jumping through the doors into the snow. We ran into the woods. I could hear it behind us. Jumping at us. I used my lava arm breaking a tree to slow it down. It just rammed right through it. Bursting through the trees into the sight of a bearded man in a hood with an arrow pointed right at me. I hit the ground hearing the arrow fly over my head and hit the beast between the eyes. I turned over as it fell hard to the ground and slid in the snow at my feet.


	2. Chapter 3

Authors Notes: I know you've all been waiting so patiently for this chapter and with good reason.

 **OnyxHarmony (AsktheBlindArcher)** wrote it. Ryan is also her OC who is the man Inky married.

Cricket belongs to **S-obbles**

Zareth, and Glass belong to **Grumpy-Zane**

Beta read by **ceata-88**

All other OCs belong to me

 **Read the Zareth AU before reading Kino AU. It will not make sense otherwise!**

Please Read and Review!

* * *

 _ **Cumbersome**_

 _ **Chapter 3**_

 _ **Familiar Faces.**_

Ryan shook his head as the droid shivered, watching the beast he'd slain slowly slip down the snowy hill and stop. "Did you really think I'd shoot you without cause? Foolish." Sliding his bow into the holster on his back, he offered his hand to Kino. Kino eyed the stranger suspiciously and grabbed his hand, pulling himself up.

"Just who the heck are-" He blinked and looked around, seeing Hope lying face down in the snow. Letting go of Ryan's hand and helping her up, he dusted the snow off of Hope and the jacket she was wearing. "You okay?"

Hope tilted her head to the side. "Snow is really cold, and I heard some arrows-"

Kino sighed and shook his head. " 'Course it's cold, all snow is cold-" He looked to Ryan, who was walking away. "Hey! I asked you a question! C'mon, Hope." Running to catch up with him, Kino grunted when Ryan stopped-causing Kino to run into him.

Grumbling when he turned around, Kino raised an eyebrow. "I asked ya who you are, y'know?" Ryan watched the droid and stared from under his hood, as if examining him. He slowly backed up, looking to Hope behind him.

"Why's he starin' at you like that, Kino?" Hope sounded confused, raising an eyebrow.

He shook his head. "I dunno, but it's startin' to creep me out."

Ryan slowly pulled his hood down, red eyes watching Kino. "My name is Ryan. Ryan Brookstone."

Kino stopped, crossing his arms. "That's impossible, Ryan would be old and-" Zareth sounded off inside Kino's head. _'Kino, you really should get more information before you spout something off-_ ' He grumbled. "I'm telling ya, that ain't Ryan. He'd be all old, elemental masters age y'know." Ryan stared at him, raising an eyebrow. Who was he talking to? No one else was around him but Hope and himself. Zareth chuckled. _'How many people you know that has red eyes, Kino? Sheesh..'_ Kino grumbled. "Well there's Danika, she's got'em."

Ryan went silent for a moment. "You mean my daughter?"

He stopped, looking up at him. "Y..Your daughter? Danika is your.."

Ryan sighed and shut his eyes for a moment, opening them to look down at the ground. He didn't speak more on the subject. Turning to Kino, he smiled-though it was brief. Only one person used to talk to himself like that. It may not be Zareth, but he had learned a long time ago that there were different fusions spanned across time and generations. "Took you long enough to find me again. So you're the new Zareth of this outfit, eh?" He rubbed Kino's head, ruffling his hair. "Not sure if I should say welcome back or not."

Kino grumbled and fixed his hair once Ryan let go. "I got a name, Ryan-"

He shook his head. "I know. I'm guessing it's Kino, since that's what Hope called you." He began walking back toward the house, seemingly not bothered by the massive fire nearby.

Hope frowned as they walked past it, nudging Kino. "What's that?"

Turning his head to the flames, he snorted. "It's fire, Hope. It's really hot and-" He shook his head, turning back to Ryan. "Anyway, we need to find Danika so she can take a look at Hope."

Ryan paused, turning back around to face them as he eyed Hope. Was she part droid? That would explain their need to see Danika. He sighed and turned to look at the fire, shutting his eyes. "I'm afraid you're too late. She and her brother passed away twenty minutes ago, within mere moments of each other."

Kino stopped walking, staring at the fire. "They..they're dead? Is that what the fire is?"

Ryan opened his eyes, watching the flames crackle and waver on the wooden encasement. "Yes..it is. Julien passed of old age, and I suppose his sister didn't want him to be alone..she died in my arms." His voice appeared to shake for a moment, but quickly stabilized. He didn't have time to be sad, no matter how much losing his the last of his kids hurt. Kino and Hope needed help.

Turning to Kino and Hope, he stopped and frowned. "Kino..you're crying.."

Kino gently touched his face and looked at the tear droplets on his fingertips, looking up at Ryan as his eyes dimmed for a moment, then briefly flashed a bright blue. "I..It's not me."

Ryan knew that color. It was a sharp, icy blue hue. It faded back to Kino's ocean blue eyes, and he wiped at his eyes. "Zareth is crying, isn't he?" Kino nodded and Ryan sighed, looking at the fire. "That doesn't surprise me. He cared about them a lot. That man would go to hell and back for his family if he had to. Anything to keep them safe." He shook his head. "They weren't in pain, don't worry...I'm gonna miss them too, though." Turning to Kino, he gave a soft smile. "The fire should burn out soon, and then we can go."

Hope frowned as she watched the fire slowly smolder into embers, and nothing but ash. "Go where?"

Kino shook his head. "Yeah, where? Danika was the only one good with droids, right? And another thing, how are you so young? Shouldn't you be old?"

Ryan chuckled. "Alright two things, Kino. First, Danika was a living prodigy, amazing droid repair and speaking the language, a gifted mind of her generation. However, my sister is..pretty good at it, too. She doesn't work in the field but she knows enough to help you."

Kino frowned and crossed his arms, trying to think. "Sister..Sister? You have a sister?"

Ryan frowned. "Well I mean, she's not related by blood, but she was raised with me. That's all that really matters."

Zareth cleared his throat inside Kino's head, his voice was soft and quiet. He was obviously still sad. _'Sorcha. Her name is Sorcha. You know, the half oni woman that Inky talked about in her journals. Danika and Julien's aunt.'_ Kino nodded to himself and looked at Ryan. "So what's the second thing?" He looked over at the fire, making sure it was fully out.

Ryan began walking again, shaking his head. "I'll explain the age thing as soon as we get to Mom. Think you can get me to er..damn..I almost said Laffy's to see Danny, but..she's been gone a long time.."

Kino scratched his head and followed Ryan, having Hope follow behind them. "I think Laffy's exploded a while back."

Ryan nodded and turned around as he walked, looking at Hope. "What did you need Danika for her again?"

He shrugged. "Hope knocked her head real bad on the train when we were runnin'." He frowned to himself as they walked, squinting at the yellow house they passed on the way to the car. "I found her, Danny made her but I don't really know what she is..probably a droid, but somethin' is different about her. Can't put my finger on it."

Ryan was silent for a moment, stopping and watching the house. He sighed and went inside, grabbing the house key and a small box of papers. "Sorcha is sleeping for work tonight, so we can go see her tomorrow. Right now, you both need to be checked out by Mom. I know she moved over here and visits back and forth between my verse and yours..can't believe Julien wanted to live out his retirement in Zareth's verse.." He chuckled and paused in the doorway. "Guess he got attached to it. I don't blame him..this verse changed my life for the better." Ryan grinned at Kino.

' _Shucks, Kid. I didn't do too much. Inky's the one who got attached to you.'_ It was a brief echo in Kino's head, and he rubbed his face as he chuckled.

"He heard me, huh?"

Kino only nodded, then grimaced when he saw the outside of the house. He knew it was yellow, but not that yellow, with the white trim. "Ugh..who put together this rag-tag shack anyway? The yellow is giving me a headache.." Glass spoke up in his processor, scolding Kino. _'I poured blood, tear n' soul into every brick n' side, post n' shingle. N' all you gone do is piss and moan b'out it! You know damn all between a brick and a box..'_

Kino held his head for a minute. Ryan steadied him, afraid he might fall over. "What was that?"

He grumbled and rubbed his head. "Apparently Glass is mad at me for insulting his house."

Ryan looked visibly confused. "Glass? Who the hell is Glass? Isn't this Dareth's parent's old place?"

Kino shook his head and began walking toward the car with Hope behind him. "Let's just go."

Ryan locked the front door to the house, heading to the car and getting in. "Make sure she's buckled in."

Hope frowned. "Why do I have to wear a seatbelt?"

He paused, turning his head to look in the back seat where Kino now sat beside Hope. "For safety."

She only tilted her head. "Are you sure?"

Ryan chuckled and shook his head, starting the car and driving into the city. "She's an odd one, Kino. But then again, we all are."

Soon pulling into a parking space at Zareth's Place with Kino's help of directions, Ryan frowned as he turned the car off and got out. "What's this place?"

Kino helped Hope out of the car, chuckling. "What, you never been here? Ever? C'mon, you tellin' me you don't know about the root beer bar Otto opened?"

He paused, watching the building. "Otto? Inky's little brother? Hell, he was a baby when I met him..never saw him since then." Ryan shook his head, beginning to walk inside with Hope and Kino. "So, all fusions are made up of two people or creatures, so who are you-" He frowned when he heard a familiar popping noise behind him, stopping when he saw two people walk out in front of him.

"Dad!" Kira and Omino shouted at the same time.

Ryan watched the blonde man lift his head from cleaning off the counter. "There you two are, where in the hell have you been?"

Omino shook his head, one hand on his hip while waving the other dismissively. "C'mon Dad, you know Kino does whatever he wants."

Kira shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah, we try and tell him not to. But he just kinda..goes."

Otto sighed and set the cleaning rag aside, watching the two. "Yeah, yeah you're right. So who are these two?"

Kira looked up at her dad and pointed over at Hope, who was currently looking around for Kino-who had 'vanished'. "That's uh..her name is Hope, Dad."

He frowned and watched Kira, a slight look of confusion on his face. "She a friend of yours from school?"

She shook her head. "Nah, not exactly Dad. She's uhm.."

Hope poked her head out from underneath a table, where she'd been looking for Kino. "I'm a complex hallucination that probably has something to do with what Kino ate for dinner the night before." She stood up, dusting herself off as she went over to look at the figurines on a nearby shelf. "Or at least that's what I heard Kino say. Has anyone seen Kino? He disappeared-" Ryan chuckled silently to himself and shook his head at how oblivious she was. Kira sighed and went silent, trying to think of how to explain this.

Otto frowned at Hope's explanation, looking at Kira in hopes of a better one. "A..hallucination?"

Shaking her head again, Kira looked up at her father. "Dad, she was created from Grandpa Zareth and Grandma Danny's DNA. Or..whatever." She rubbed her face in slight frustration. "It's all still pretty unclear and we're all a little fuzzy on the details. Hope is..well, she's our aunt...I think?" Kira looked to Omino who shrugged and ducked behind the counter to play with a creature who began letting out silent purrs. Ryan seemed confused at the noise. Did they have a cat? Shaking his head and looking at Otto, he seemed to be..eerily silent.

"But..that doesn't explain the blue.." Otto walked over and gently patted Hope's head.

"So you aren't mad, Dad?" Kira seemed confused, watching him.

He shook his head and gently chuckled. "Kira, weird things happen all the time in this family."

"He ain't wrong, Kira." Ryan shook his head. "I can't count the number of times we've had strange occurrences since I've been around Inky and her fam.." He trailed off, sighing and clearing his throat.

Otto frowned and turned to look at Ryan, squinting at him and circling around him. "And just where in the hell have you been, Skyscra-"

He flinched, glaring at Otto. "Don't. I don't wanna hear that nickname anymore. It was hers."

Sighing and watching Ryan, Otto shook his head. "You're right, you're right. My bad, Ryan. Say, did you bring Danika and Julien? Haven't seen them in a long time, and-" He stopped when he saw Ryan's empty gaze. "What? What's goin' on?"

Ryan took a breath and watched Otto carefully. "They uhm.." He could feel his throat tighten, as though he may start crying-but he fought the urge to do so. "They passed away today, Otto. Within moments of each other. Danika died in my arms after Julien died of old age mere minutes before her."

Otto stopped and turned to Ryan, expression unreadable for a moment before it shifted to sadness. "I see..at least they weren't in pain, right? I mean, they passed relatively peacefully?"

He was silent for a moment, but nodded. "Yeah..they weren't in pain. Had to burn the bodies, though."

Otto looked slightly alarmed at this, turning to Kira and Omino for confirmation-as though he couldn't quite believe Ryan.

The two siblings nodded in unison, though Kira turned away and rubbed her arm, as though she were still upset by the sight.

"I did what I did because of the people this family has been caught up in before. Fucks sake, Otto. Before you were born, Gaya tried to kidnap me and use me as a weapon. Call me paranoid if you like, but I've seen people do some shady shit in my life and I ain't havin' someone use my kid's bodies for something." Ryan said, crossing his arms. The fear was clearly present in his voice as he shifted uncomfortably where he stood.

Silence filled the room, and Otto ran a hand through his hair. He seemed to be trying to process the information. "I understand. I mean I ain't mad at you over it."

Hope frowned, tilting her head in slight confusion. "Who's Gaya?"

As innocent as the question was coming from Hope, it caused a wave of unease to fill most of the people in the room.

Ryan shook his head. "It's better you don't know just yet, Hope. Not until we go find my sister and get you checked out." He was quiet after that, fingers rubbing carefully over Hope's cheek and patting her head. "We'll tell you when it's appropriate so it doesn't overload you." Clapping his hands together as if he were ending the tension in the room, he chuckled at Otto. "How's about you tell me what I've missed since I've been gone, over some root beer, hm?"

Rubbing the back of his neck, Otto couldn't help but grin. "Alright, alright. It's on the house….this time." He pointed his finger at Ryan and narrowed his eyes as though he were trying to intimidate him, which only caused him to start laughing at himself. "I..I can't do that with a straight face, sorry-"

As Otto composed himself, the front door to the bar swung open and a familiar face peered inside, orange antennae subtly twitching.

Oh fuck. Oh no. Ryan felt himself start to internally panic, watching Cricket come into the bar and sit down at a stool. He thought he'd had all the loose ends tied, had let everyone know about the deaths...well, he'd at least tell Cryptor and Min when he saw them next. But he'd nearly forgotten about Danika's wife. Running a hand nervously through his hair, he tried to think of how to break the news.

Cricket swiveled around on the barstool, chuckling to herself. Stopping when she finally got dizzy, the orange LED eyes on her facescreen blinked in confusion-as though she thought she were seeing things. "Ryan? Holy hell, you're still alive?"

Ryan could only chuckle as he sat down next to Cricket and shook his head. "Yeah, yeah I am. Though I suppose I've got a little birdie lookin' out for me these days. Listen..." His tone softened, watching the droid tilt her head. "I've got some news about Danika, she-"

"Oh yeah, Dani is great! Haven't seen her lovely face for a good day or two, but I know she'll be back around in no time. Can't wait see her." Cricket interjected, joy clearly present in her tone.

"Actually Cricket, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. Danika is.." He sighed and paused, trying to collect his thoughts. "Passed. She's passed away, not more than a few hours ago."

The silverware Cricket had currently been toying with clattered to the counter as she dropped it in shock, the droid beginning to laugh uncomfortably and twist a napkin in her hands instead to calm herself, running her fingers over the soft material. "What? Haha..hah..Th-That's a real funny joke there Ryan, Really funny!" She shook as she winked at him. "Y-You got me, good one!"

Ryan shook his head and reached his hand out to comfort Cricket, only to hesitate and pull his hand back. "I wish I was joking, I really do. Her and her brother died within minutes of each other. She didn't suffer, Cricket. I promise-"

A half forced laugh of desperation left Cricket, as she slowly began tearing the napkin to pieces, discarded bits falling to the floor below. "I..I don't understand. She..-" Her voice cracked as she stared at Ryan, facescreen glitching occasionally as she tried to process all this. "She was supposed to stay with me." Cricket's face screen powered off and went black as she began to teeter, falling over and slumping against Ryan.

Catching her and looking to Otto and the others in confusion, Ryan carefully picked Cricket up in his arms. "I think she just-"

"...shutdown." Kira finished for him, staring at the immobile droid in his arms. "What do we do now? Are we gonna take her to see Sorcha? I mean we have to take Hope anyway."

Ryan shook his head, standing up with Cricket in his arms. "No I don't...I don't think Sorcha can fix this. It looks like a forced shutdown. A hibernation, maybe?" Looking over at Otto, Ryan jerked his head in the direction of the stairs. "I'm gonna borrow a room, alright? Prop Cricket up in the corner so she doesn't fall and get hurt."

Otto only nodded, tossing Ryan a key. "Anything you need. I take it this means you're gonna head out with Kira and Omino in the mornin'?" He shook his head. "Just keep my kids in one piece, Ryan. That applies to Kino, too."

Ryan was already halfway up the stairs when Otto spoke, pausing to look at him. "Yeah. I'll keep them as safe as I can. See you in the morning, Otto."


	3. Chapter 4

_Authors Notes: If you donno how tall or even what a great dane is. Its a dog (Scooby Doo)._

 _Ryan and Deity belongs to Ask-the-blind-archer_

 _Cricket belongs to s-obbles_

 _Malt, and Zareth belong to Grumpy-Zane_

 _All other OCs belong to me._

 _ **Please read and review.** _

_If something is going on that you don't understand. Please say so. I would like to square it all in story. You would be doing me a great big favor_

* * *

 ** _Cumbersome_**

 ** _Chapter 4_**

 ** _Paradise Lost_**

Otto looked up at the picture of his mom and dad on the wall. He missed them greatly. He saw her in a lot of the things his kids did. Specially Kino's need to find her. She would stop at nothing to protect her family.

He sighed and looked down at the light blue dragon on the floor. She yawned and stretched. A very young boy having fallen asleep astride her back. His son he had created ten long years after his twin siblings.

"Go on Malt...follow him up." She hopped up and soundlessly padded up the stairs just behind Ryan. Watching him as he walked. All the gear he wore smelled unusual. Of a place she had never been. She'd love to just play with it all. She hurried around him as he turned to close the door so he didn't see her. She noticed that most humans would leave her be if they didn't know she was there. The five year old on her back wasn't going anywhere so she might as well let Ryan know she was there. So she warbled at him. It sounded like a gurgling purr. She sat down letting the boy slide down onto the floor and curled around the young boy protectively.

Ryan looked slightly confused at her, but even more at the boy.

[Silly human...don't you know what a human is?] she thought to herself.

"Who's that?" He frowned a little and crossed his arms. "Doesn't Otto only have two kids? Maybe he belongs to someone else? And furthermore who the heck are you?" Ryan asked pulling a bag from his hip. He opened it and offered the bag to the dragon. "Do you like sweets?" He asked. Malt sniffed the air knowing perfectly well what that was.

[Chocolate!] She was drooling, but interrupted by the small voice coming from her belly. The boys head rested on her paws. But his bright blue eyes were looking up at Ryan.

"Her names Malt, and she's really heavy." She was the size of two great danes put together after all. Her wingspan was twice as long, but tucked in tightly so she could stay inside.

[Chocolate?] Malt warbled wagging her tail. The boy who had brown hair and light blue eyes just ran his fingers over Malts fur.

"I'm Ryder by the way. Ryder Darzuski. I'm going to be the next Brown ninja." He did indeed have Dareths old Gi on...well a mini version of it. Malt climbed off Ryder.

[But the chocolate human...can I have it?] Her tail was wagging so hard and she turned circles sitting down.

Ryan chuckled watching the little kid and slid off the bed, and sat down on the floor next to him.

"She doesn't look so heavy. You know." He said tugging off his hood and mask. "You could be the next brown ninja, anything could happen."

Malt warbled at Ryan annoyed that her protection efforts were thwarted.

"You aren't as small as you used to be Malty." Ryder said drawing circles in her fur. She made a small buzz noise, a sort of purr for her.

[He was talking to big brother.] Malt told Ryder.

"Who are you. Malt says you were talking to dad."

Ryan paused.

"Can you understand her? Wouldn't surprise me. Dareth could always understand animals." He rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled. "I'm uh...I'm Ryan. I married your dad's sister. Inky. A long time ago."

Ryder gasped.

" Your the guy in the pictures. Dads got a room full of Aunt Inky's family, and paintings. Mom bought some to fill the restaurant area with." He told Ryan with a huge smile. A smile that looked a lot like Zareths.

Ryan chuckled a little. "The guy in the pictures huh? Can I see some?" Ryan asked watching Malt for a brief moment as she was on her hind legs begging.

[Please human...please chocolate?] Ryan tossed her a sweet.

"There. Don't worry. I ain't gonna hurt Ryder."

[Better not human...or you'll find your butt fused to your bed in the morning.] She said as she licked the chocolate off the floor and chewed in loudly. Trying to enjoy the taste. Then lick the floor where it was.

"Malt…" Ryder giggled taking Ryans hand and walked him down the stairs.

Inside the giant room there were tables and chairs everywhere like you would see in a restaurant. There was a large fireplace in the back with a huge picture of Zareth on it. A small signature in the corner said 'Inky'

"That's one of them. Mom commissioned Aunt Inky to paint it for us. Grandpa Zareth was thrilled."

"You know...she always was really talented. Well I mean, she earned it. Worked hard." He cleared his throat, something felt...stuck. "Any family pictures?"

Ryder took his hand again and walked toward another room.

"This is the flower room. Aunt Inky always had one...she added a few when she was here. You went missing for three years. I donno why. No one told me. But theirs pictures all over the place that she painted. Flowers, and family." The flowers were none other then the ones he showed her in a garden after she got the glasses he gave her so she could see color. "Mom said they were your favorite."

Ryan was silent for a moment, tugging Ryder into his arms as he sat down on the floor. "Did anyone ever tell you about her? I know you weren't around when she was. You weren't born yet. Till recently and she died long ago, but…"

Ryder sat in his lap.

"Dad said she didn't have a good beginning. She wasn't happy, and she wasn't healthy either. Nearly died. Grandpa Zareth found her and they adopted her. Took care of her. Then she met you and you started to take care of her. She was so happy with you that her ink went from black to gold." Of course his explanation was from someone in preschool. " She even had kids...onf of which got married to Cricket...and had a son. Jimmy. Donno where he is. But that's it."

"Mm...I wasn't around for her beginning, and I kinda...shoved her away at first." He shook his head. "Did some stupid stuff. She was lovely though. Didn't think I'd ever get so attached to someone."

Ryder nodded his head. "Malt and me are always together. She's never left my side. Even goes to school with me sometimes. Tries to do the work I do. She's really smart. I donno where I'd be without her." The light bulb went out and Ryder sighed as the light in the room came from the stars and moon above them. At least until Ryder stood up and his hair began to glow a light purple and gold.

"I'm a night light." He laughed. "I gots great grandma Danny's element. "

Ryan was quiet for a moment. "You've got Danny's power?" He seemed confused. " I didn't know she was an elemental."

"She never talked about it much dad said. Mostly because she believed it was completely useless. She could make a wall. A single wall. Not a box...or two walls. Just one wall." A voice said from the door. Ryder looked up to see a teenager with a green shirt on. A gold dragon embroidered along the shirt across the chest.

"Ryder. Your dads looking for you." Her blond hair swished back and forth.

Ryan squinted a little at the woman. Oh that was an easy guess. "You're Lloyds kid." He shook his head and stood up. "What's your name?"

The girl shook her head.

"Sorry no. It's a little easy to get confused with that. But the mantle of green ninja isn't passed on through blood like all the others. It's why they got confused with Morro…and didn't know it was Lloyd." She held out her hand. "Names Ty. No last name."

Ryan shook her hand "I wasn't saying the mantle of green ninja was passed to you. You ain't gotta be whoever your parents used to be." He frowned. "I was just guessin, based on your looks that you were Lloyd's kid." she smiled as someone ran into her. The room was dark so she couldn't see. The brown hair was that of Garmadon's when he was a child.

"Now this...is Lloyds daughter, the new master of destruction." Ty said looking up at Ryan. "Kyo Garmadon." She waved at him. Her hands were black, but the seems were silver. It looked like one of Danika's designs.

Ryan watched the girl, not bothered by her arms. "Huh? Always forget it's not voluntary to give your element in your kids like it is in my realm."

The girl smiled holding out her arms for Ryder.

"Come on kiddo. Your dads waiting for you. He's about to tear the place down looking for you."

"Aw man…" Ryan grinned. "Don't tell Otto I stole him."

"Oh don't worry. It's not like he doesn't like it in here. We're always finding him cat napping in here. It's why we came here." Ty said bouncing Ryder who was half asleep.

"Whatever you did...was just as good as one of Malts bedtime stories." Kyo said looking at Malt who was chewing on a chicken bone.

"Have you seen a little boy named Ryder? Kino's father is most upset that his youngest son has gone missing." Hope ran up to Ryder. "Oh look...a little boy. Are you Ryder?" Hope asked. Her eyes were blowing blue. Her own hair was also glowing in the star light.

"Hey…" Ryder said in an almost sing song voice. "Is it possible to have the same element as someone...twice? I got the stars."

"Oh I'm not the master of the stars. I'm the master of the sun." Hope said. Ty and Kyo laughed.

"Same thing silly." Ty said.

The ground shook and pictures fell off the walls. Malt growled, the fur on her back seemed to spike as she pushed herself farther away from the noise as she could.

[They aren't supposed to be here.] Malt walked slowly toward Ryder her tail between her legs, but her wings held high.

"Whats going on?" Ryders voice grew squeakier and he was shaking.

[Give me my boy.] Malt growled.

"Oh a melding dragon." Malt looked up at Hope who seemed to smell the very same as her former master.

[Zareth?] She walked over and sniffed Hope knocking her over. Hope giggled at the small sniffled and nuzzled Malt gave to her.

"No time Malt...we need to get your boy to a safe place. Hurry. To the portal." Ty yelled putting Ryder onto Malts back

Kino ran through the house, coughing. He looked left and right trying to find his brother.

"Where are ya kid!" His eyes were burning from the smoke. He was near the first blast. He looked at the front area of the bar. It was gone.

"Dad…" The voice was a more higher pitched. Kira was projecting through the connection.

"Not now...we gotta g…" Kino saw it...his heart broke into pieces. His started to pant. He was trying his best to keep it together. The voices in his head screamed to run. But there was one, who was just as shocked as he was. At his feet lay Otto. His hand still clutching the broom he was cleaning the bar with before going to bed. Several glass shards from the stained glass windows puncturing his body.

"Otto...my boy." He reached down running his hands over the mans face.

"I'm so sorry." Another explosion shook the building. Kino felt someone grab him from behind and pull him in another direction. He faintly heard the voice. Kino began to run along with Ryan, Hope, and Ryder who was riding upon Malt. Another explosion threw them back and out into the yard. Kino watched as Ryan stood up and looked around to make sure everyone was there. Kino's ears were ringing he couldn't hear what Ryan said at all. But he followed him. It was all he could do. It was all his brain told him to do. Even those within his head were silent. They ran into the cornfield and disappeared within the portal to Ryans realm.


	4. Chapter 5

**_Authors Notes: This is a continual of Zareth AU. 100 years into the future after it. Kino is Danny's grandchildren who are fused together._**

 ** _Ryan, Sorcha, and Deity belong to 'Ask-the-blind-archer'_**

 ** _Cricket belongs to S-obbles_**

 ** _Zareth belongs to Grumpy-Zane_**

 ** _Luna belongs to ElizabethJullien_**

 ** _Please Read and Review_**

* * *

 ** _Cumbersome_**

 ** _Chapter 5_**

 ** _Brand New Ninjago_**

"What are they!" Ty's voice strained as they thought the large hairy looking beasts. Dark glowing colors all over there bodies. Some with greens, others with purples. The smoke was beginning to get thick.

"Who cares...let's get out of here before we can't!" Kyo yelled grabbing Cricket from the corner and ran with her out of the building. Outside was a similar environment. There were a few others out there. Masks covering their faces.

The one closest to them had one bronze eye and the other was purple.

"Luna is everyone out?!" Kyo yelled. The young femme looked around at them.

"Yeah, the Bounty's Revenge is over there." She pointed toward the tree line. A pair of red sails and a large white dragon adorned the ship.

"Make for the ship." Ty yelled.

A loud creaking sound echoed through the valley as the building fell down.

"Ah man...Zareth would be pissed." The boy with the light blue and gray gi said.

"I know Max…"

(0)

Being pulled through a portal was a brand new feeling to Kino. At first it felt like a slide. Smooth and warm. Like a hot summer day. Then the feeling of incredible cold and then rolling down a hill.

It didn't hurt, but it felt like different surfaces. He didn't know what it looked like he dare not look for fear of seeing other creatures of other worlds. People with two heads and lots of arms.

Eventually the road felt smooth again. Just as they hit Ryans realm the portal spat them out into something that smelled sweet, and slightly wet.

"Oh no...its...vegetables." Kino back paddled.

"Vegetables are scary?" Hope pulled away from them and looked around at all of them. "We are surrounded."

"Ow…" Ryder exclaimed as he landed hard on his back side.

"They have attacked Ryder!" Hope threw a rock and it went right through one of the tomatoes.

"Ryan...Ryan we are in need of help." Hope called. Malt walked over licking Ryders forehead. He didn't look to well.

Hearing the commotion, Deity looked up just in time to see someone attacking her vegetables.

"Ryan Lou Brookstone! Must you have a fight with-" The lenses in her eyes closed to adjust and examine who he was with, she paused.

"I...Ry...der?" She hadn't seen the child since he was an infant. "Is he alright? Are all of you alright? ...Is Malt with you?"

Malt looked up hearing her name. Her tail wagged a bit as she chirped. Ryder slowly tried to stand up, but cringed holding his side. Malt made a noise as she sniffed his hip. She looked up at Kino who scrambled over toward Ryder running his hand over the wound.

"Hey...kid. You okay?" A line of oil bubbled up from the boys hand.

"Its okay. Its not so ba...d…" He saw a piece of metal sticking out of it. "Oh g...Aunt Deity?"

Deity sat her tools down and ran over to Ryder picking him up.

"How did this happen? Why do you all look like you've been in a fire?" She frowned and looked at Ryan. "And where have you been? I haven't heard from you in forty years." Deity huffed and began walking into the orphanage.

Malt stood up trotting after Deity. Ryder took a deep breath.

"They came after us. Lots of them. Monsters with black fur and glowing marks." He looked at Kino who seemed slightly amused at the fact that Hope had taken Ryans hand. She was a little afraid of new places now. When he heard Ryder talking about what happened "They got dad…"

Deity paused before carefully opening the doors, waving at a few little kids before heading up to the medical bay that resided upstairs.

"They got Otto? A shame...but I hope he'll be alright." She sighed and laid Ryder down on the table. "Do you think you can make a funny face for me, hm? Maybe tell me a story about your exploits with the great and Mighty Malt?" Deity was trying to get him to focus on something other than his side so she could repair it.

Kino watched as she lay Ryder down on a table.

"What do you mean alright? He' was shattered! Had glass all in him." Obviously unaware of the software that his father has.

"Kino?" Ryder sniffled. Kino turned away so he could at least hide his face. Yet his shoulders shook very hard. There was a loud pop, and Kira walked away from her brother. Omino gasped trying to reach out for her. "Sis?"

Deity chuckled. "Ah...I thought so. I thought you two might be what was making up Kino." She said shook her head and slowly pulled the metal out of his side. "Ryan, would you be a dear and-" Ryan went over to Ryder and took his hand. He didn't like using his element on little kids, but sometimes they were scared.

"Hey..it's gonna be alright. I promise. Mom is gonna have you patched up faster than you can say sixteen serpentine saddled south toward the Sea of Sands with six sick salamanders."

Ryder thought about that for a second and shook his head.

"Nope, I'll never be able to say that once...ever." He said with a soft giggle. Malt bumped Hope's hip. She was concerned and she didn't want to get in the way.

"Yes Malt, it is a very serious feat to do. Being able to heal seems to be a…" She swallowed her eyes crossed and she fell backwards onto the floor. Malt looked confused for a second. She looked around trying to find a supposed assailant. But there wasn't anyone around. She just lay down next to her and put her head on Hope's chest.

[Silly child, just needs to sleep.] Omino shook her head.

"She fainted Malt."

"Omino, would you mind carrying her to a nearby room? She shouldn't lay on the floor like that." Deity laid the oily metal aside and stitched Ryders side up after stopping the leak.

"There you go. Now, who's going to tell me if I need to help you all out of not?"

Omino picked up Hope with ease and walked her out of the room. Kira sighed looking at her younger brother as he yawned. They hadn't slept any. They had just fled before they were to go to bed. Kira took her jacket off laying it onto Ryder.

"We would much appreciate if if you were to help us Aunt De." She took a deep breath stepping forward. "You are our godmother after all."

"I'll help you any way you need." Deity shook her head. "I can't fight as well as I used to. My internal tech severely needs an upgrade." She sighed and rubbed her face. "Although I will say you can sleep and eat here. I might have some weapons you can have."

Kira smiled at Deity kindly.

"Thank you Aunt Deity. Really, I know the boys would say the same. I think ones out like a light and the others putting the idiot to bed." She said rubbing her head.

"Now you hold your tongue. Calling someone an idiot without knowing anything about them." Deity cleaned the oil from her hands. "I'm sure your father would've said the same thing I am, and I'm certain he raised you better." She huffed tossing the piece of metal shard into the trash.

"Now...there's food in the fridge. The children are usually in bed by now, if its Sorcha you need, she's up in the mountains a ways."

Kira laughed "Nah Hopes just...Hope. Well she...she's Zareths daughter." Kira said looking around at Omino as he walked back in. "Yeah she was kind of cloned according with the video Gran left." Omino yawned loudly.

At that Deity stared.

"She what?" She was silent for a moment watching the two. "I haven't heard Zareths name in a long time. It's surprising to know that people still even talk about him." She chuckled sadly and tucked a pillow under Ryders head. "Then again, I guess he was fairly unforgettable. You don't forget people who have changed your life for the better. Or ones you've made promises to."

Kira understood completely.

"We were looking for Gran and we followed the journals." She held up a small black book. "When we followed it we found a large underground base. We expected to find Gran there, but there was a huge battle field and...well...whatever happened within it shattered all the tanks except Hopes.

Deity nodded and watched them. "So, what is it you need to do?"

Kira looked up at Ryan for a second.

"We need to find out what's wrong with her. When she came out of the tank she was damaged. A crack on the back part of her head. See if we can get her fixed and see if any internal damage has been done. I mean she should have a memory right? A memory of her family?"

"Mm...I can't help you with that." Deity shook her head and crossed her arms. Trying to think.

"The Quickest way to Sorcha's house is two hours by car." She shrugged her shoulders. "Or you can wait till night. Sorcha still works as Glitzer sometimes. When's she's not spending time with her kid...or is it kids now?" Her memories seemed to fail sometimes.

Kira perked up. "Kids!? She's gots kids?" She loved to work with children. Another reason why taking a job at the orphanage was high on her list of things she wanted to do. "Oh now you gotta spill Auntie." She giggled again. "Oh no you don't. Sleep time." Omino lightly bumped her. He looked dead on his feet. Kira sighed and nodded. "Oh alright." She walked over and hugged Deity.

"Thank you for taking us in. We missed you."

"I think so. Thought I'm not sure how many kids she has." Deity sighed and returned Kira's hug. Giving her a squeeze. "I would always take you in. Now...theirs six spare rooms on the top floor. Go rest. Please." Kira walked over to Omino and tucked herself under his arm.

"Good night Aunt Deity." He said in his usual low shy voice. Malt warbled and jumped onto the table with Ryder. Laying down. She looked at Deity and let out a few mournful sounds.

"What's the matter, Malt?"She frowned and rubbed the dragon's head, sliding her hand down to gently scratch under her chin.

Malt leaned into the scratching her tongue sliding out of her mouth, and her leg kicking. Ryder moaned and turned over. Malt pulled away from Deity's fingers and put her head down on Ryders side. There was a soft glow to her fur when she touched him.

[He and I are bonded just the same as Zane and Dareth and Odis to Otto, even Kira and Omino. He is a brother to me. I will fuse with him when he's older.]

She couldn't speak any animal languages, let alone dragon-but she had a rough idea of what Malt was trying to convey.

"You two are just as bonded as the other fusion partners, yeah? You probably should wait until he's older. Maybe when he's Kira and Omino's age?"

Malt wound her tail around Ryders leg as she yawned noisily. [Of course, he wouldn't be able to walk around with my wings otherwise. They're much to big for his tiny legs.]

" Malt you miss Zareth right?" It was a simple question, thought it held a slight sadness behind it.

Malt looked up at Deity as if she were about to cry.

[He was a father to me. He was there when my egg hatched, and he took me in. Gave me a family. Allowed me to stay with him. He was very dear to me, as he is to us all.]

Deity hefted the dragon up into her lap and gently rubbed her head.

"It'll be alright. Maybe we'll see him again one day. Maybe it'll be before I go."

Malt leaned into the gentle rubbings. Soft purrs escaped her, closing her eyes and she drifted off. It had been a long day and she trusted Deity with her boy.

"Get some rest Malt." Deity wouldn't move, she didn't mind sitting there all night due to Malt being comfortable where she was.


	5. Chapter 6

**_Authors Notes: Whoohoo finally! Sorry its taking so long between, but I'm working with other writers with these._**

 ** _Ryan, Sorcha, and Deity belong to Ask-the-blind-archer_**

 ** _Cricket belongs to s-obbles_**

 ** _Luna belongs to ElizabethJullien_**

 ** _Malt, and Zareth belong to Grumpy-Zane_**

 ** _Everyone else belongs to me._**

 ** _Cover art done by Grumpy-Zane_**

* * *

 ** _Cumbersome_**

 ** _Chapter 6:_**

 ** _Remembering is a Blessing and a Curse_**

Hope opened her eyes the next morning to the soft giggles. She looked up at the open door seeing children looking in at her. "Hello."

They all let out playful screams and giggles as they ran from the room.

Hope just smiled. She knew what children were by definition. They seemed fun to her. She pulled back the blanket and walked down the steps toward the smell of breakfast. Or, at least she assumed it was. She had only been out of the tank for a few days now, so some scents were unknown to her. She followed her nose and found a vent.

That wasn't right. Didn't food come from kitchens?

Hope walked out onto the back porch, attempting to find anyone. All she found was the small vegetable garden she had landed in. She narrowed her eyes at the plants. 'They're planning something.' She thought as she walked around them. Hope's heart jumped into her chest when a mole popped up out of the ground. A quick tearing noise and lots of wind were what she felt. Before she knew what was going on she was above the orphanage. Her feet had light blue flames coming from them, wings held over her head guided her as she flew.

Hope took a deep breath and looked down. The animal that scared her seemed so small from up there.

It felt so cool and nice up here. The air felt so humid earlier. Perhaps it was what they called summer, here?

Lost in the bliss of the cool breeze, she was ripped from her thoughts when her jets shut off and she began to plummet from the sky.

"Help!" Hope screamed as she slammed into the ground. "Ow…" She lay in the small crater she had created upon her harsh landing. She looked up at the clouds in a slight daze, still a little shaken from her sudden fall. Her scanners began to look for any internal damages that needed to be fixed.

This was just like that night when…

Hope held her head as memories hit her hard.

" _Hope get back!"_

 _Danny's voice echoed in her head._

" _Danny! We won't be able to hold that thing off!"_

 _Who was that? She looked just like her mom, only...older. As if she had aged as a human did._

" _I know Spencer. I have to keep her safe." Danny jumped to the side as another piece of beam hit the wall behind her._

 _Another beam sailed across the room and hit Hope's bed. She fell to the floor, hard. The searing pain in her skull from the impact with the floor caused her vision to cloud over._

The next thing she knew, a blurry silhouette was standing above her.

Right, this wasn't the tank.

This was the garden behind Deity's orphanage.

Ryan raised an eyebrow as he looked at Hope.

"I...remembered some." She admitted, almost thankful for the bump on the head she'd gotten.

Ryan frowned as he watched Hope. "What do you mean you remembered some?"

Hope rubbed her head, wincing when her fingers grazed the swollen bump. "I remembered how this happened, I think…" She started to get technical with her words. "It would seem that during my state of stupefaction after I crashed, my brain took the pain and actions of my head being hit as a bit of a 'nod' to remember something similar to my crash...does that makes sense?"

"The fall triggered a memory, got it." Ryan nodded and sat down in the dirt with her. "Did you remember anything else?"

Hope nodded her head and slowly sat up. "Yeah. Someone named Spencer." She shrugged, letting out a sigh. Part of her wished she would have remembered more. Something sparked in her eyes and she nodded to herself. "Mom and this person were working together as this...black beast destroyed everything. Maybe thats what happened to mom?"

"Its possible." Ryan frowned and looked her over. "Is anything broken?"

Hope sat still for a moment, trying to think of anything else she might have remembered. She gasped when she felt the tears running down her face. She touched them and looked up at Ryan. "I believe my internal water stores are leaking. Help...I think I'm…" She tried to think of a word for it, but only one word came to her mind. "I think it is I, who is broken."

Ryan was tempted to chuckle at her naivety, but didn't. He only pulled Hope into his arms and rubbed her back. "You're sad. You're not leaking, you're just crying."

"I'm sad? What is crying?" Hope looked up the definition in her data banks and nodded. "Yes. I see." She sat there for a moment thinking and letting Ryan rub her back. "What is...a family?" She asked, turning her head to look back at him.

"Depends what you mean." He shrugged. "You don't have to be related by blood to be family." Ryan shook his head. "I mean Sorcha isn't blood related, but she's still my sister."

Hope only looked more confused. "I do not have parents. My mom and dad are gone...who will I go to? I do not have what Kino calls a 'godmother', like Deity is for them. Who will I go to?" Her expression quickly shifted, sadness present on her face.

"Anyone can be family." Ryan shook his head. "Mom-er...Deity didn't have any family after the storm killed her parents. But Zane, Jay and the others kept her safe and cared about her. Whether that grumpy old bot wanted to admit he cared or not."

Hope nodded. "I am familiar with a nindroid named Zane. He was my uncle, yes?" She wasn't aware of universe travel yet, or that there were multiple versions of Ninjago. She didn't even understand the fact that they had shifted from one to another after their departure from Zareth's Place.

"Nah, nah. Not this one." Ryan rested his head on top of hers. "We're in a different version of Ninjago, kid."

Hope looked baffled for a moment trying to understand what he meant.

They were in another Ninjago?

Was this the one Ryan lived in with his wife? Inky, right?

Something seemed to snap in her mind when her brain thought about the name 'Inky'.

" _No, I have to get a message to Inky."_

 _Danny's words flashed in her head._

"Inky?" Hope whispered. "Who is...Inky?" She frowned, looking to Ryan for a possible answer.

Ryan's smile vanished and he held Hope a little tighter, giving her a gentle squeeze. "She was my wife."

She detected the sadness in his voice. "I am sorry. It is clear this woman meant a lot to you."

"Well yeah. I was married to her for a long time. She was wonderful, Hope." He shut his eyes for a moment. "Inky was everything I ever needed."

Hope paused, trying to keep a hold on the thought she currently had. "Mom tried to get a letter to her, or something. Who is Inky to mom? Why would she try and get a message to her? She was in another Ninjago...with you." She frowned, shaking her head.

"For this. Gran didn't get a chance to send it. It was too late." Kino said as he walked toward them.

There was a diary in his hand.

Ryan cleared his throat when Kino came outside. It was clear that he'd been moments from tearing up. "Inky was her daughter." He let go of Hope and stood up, offering his hand to help her stand. "Kino, what is that?"

Kino held up the diary "Gran kept a diary. She hid it in Grandpa Z's pillowcase. I went in there to clean, and I found it while I was changing the bedding. So I went looking for Gran. The diary said there was a place in the Glacier Barrens where she had a server with her memory on it. _'If for any reason I don't come home, that means I'm stuck in the tube again.'_ That was what it said. But the tubes in there were empty." Kino tossed the diary to Ryan.

"Maybe the tubes are the servers in the city?" Ryan shrugged and looked over at Kino. "But I wouldn't know. I'm not good with tech."

Kino shook his head. "Nah the servers and tanks were busted up and broken all over the place." He looked over at Hope. "Well, unless she's got another place she hides stuff. That's another reason why I wanted to find D-" Kino stopped himself from saying 'Danika'. "Sorry. I just...didn't know you were alive."

"I've been hiding for years." Ryan sighed. "I just take assassination jobs and stay by myself."

Hope stood up and dusted herself off. Her pants looked like they had char marks at the bottom of the legs. "I flew, Kino!" She smiled as she looked up at him, a giggle escaping her as she thought of her sudden flight from earlier.

Kino chuckled and rubbed the top of her head.

Hope sounded like she purred as she was given this brief contact.

"That's good. Dad could fly too. I've...not tried." He shivered in slight fear at the thought of it. "I'm afraid of heights."

Ryan watched Kino. "I am too, but someone helped me get over it a few times." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I could help you."

Kino shook his head. "Ohhhhno. No. Never getting me in the air."

"Come on Kino. You can fly." Ryder said, his chin resting on the top of Malt's head as he rode on her back into the garden, waving at Kino.

Malt made a soft warble as she watched Kino.

"No way, nuh-uh. Never." Kino crossed his arms and made his way toward the car. "We got things to do anyways. We gotta go find that Sorcha chick."

"Gonna make sure you're nice to my sister or I'm gonna mess your hair up." Ryan huffed.

Kino gasped, holding his black and purple hair. "You wouldn't." It was more of a feminine voice that said it, as Kira clearly responded for Kino.

"Watch out Kino. Your Kira is showing." Ryder giggled as he climbed into the backseat of the car with Malt.

"She worked hard on this dye job, and I'm very partial to it myself." Kino said, running a comb through his hair.

The purple on the tips made his hair look pretty nice.

Ryan grumbled and got into the car, waiting for Hope to buckle up.

Hope fastened her seat belt and looked up at Ryan. "I do apologize for Kino, Ryan. He is a bit...rash sometimes." She said, blushing in slight embarrassment.

"It's not a problem." Ryan started the car, pulling out of the driveway and heading out onto the mountain road.

Hope watched as the houses, people, and buildings went by before them. She had never seen so many people in one place before!

It was like opening a book and reading, seeing all the little characters living their lives.

So many questions spewed from her mouth, although she didn't wait for the answer either. She just kept belting them out.

[Oh and I thought Ryder was the curious one.] Malt said as she nuzzled her sleeping companion.

Ryder didn't do to well on long car rides. He normally just fell asleep after the first fifteen minutes.

"Hope, Hope you need to calm down." Ryan chuckled. "Do you have anymore questions?"

Hope turned to Ryan and nodded her head. "I have questions. Lots! I have all the questions!" Her cheeks were rose tinted from all the excitement she had bubbling up inside from seeing all the things pass by on the car ride.

After a moment, the roads changed from pavement to gravel.

"What is that?" She asked, seeing the sky turn gray and begin to rain. "Is the sky sad? It cries."

Ryan shook his head. "Nah, it's just rain. I hope it doesn't start pouring through. Any one of you got a GPS?"

Hope nodded. "I do have a global positioning system. What address are we trying to find?" Her eyes flashed to bronze, much like Danny's did when she was angry, but Hope didn't seem to be angry at all.

"There's only one cottage on the top of the mountain." Ryan shrugged "Look for it I guess? Sorcha doesn't have a legal address."

Hope blinked and pointed down the road they were currently on. "There are no roads leading to her house. We must walk. Although there are many different trails leading all over the place." Hope seemed to be confused by this information as she looked back at Kino, who seemed to be stretched out against Malt.

Kino's eyes trailed over to Ryder, who was still asleep. At least Deity was able to fix him when they first arrived at the orphanage.

"Nahhh…" Ryan waved his hand. "Do you think you can find a cave first?"

Hope thought about it. "Caves? Does she live in a cave?" She asked, trying to pinpoint one on her GPS. "There are lots of caves, but I don't see one near us...just that rock face off to the left. It looks...odd." She frowned.

Ryan revved the engine and turned left. He headed straight for the rock face, as though he had no intention of stopping.

There was no crash, nothing.

They went right through it in a bright flash.


	6. Chapter 7

**_Authors Notes: Heres a new chapter! Whooooo!_**

 ** _Ryan, Deity, and Sorcha belong to Ask the blind Archer_**

 ** _Zareth, Cygnus, and Malt belong to Grumpy-Zane_**

 ** _Sorcha and Cygnuses kids belong to both Ask the blind Archer and Grumpy-Zane_**

 ** _Cricket belongs to S-obbles_**

 ** _Luna belongs to ElizabethJullien_**

 ** _Everyone else belongs to me._**

* * *

 ** _Cumbersome_**

 ** _Chapter 7_**

 ** _Unfortunate Realizations_**

Hope clung to the seat, feeling her heart pounding in her throat.

What had they just done?

"I hope you didn't like those seats Uncle Ryan. Hope's claws ripped up the fabric some." Kino gave Ryan a grin, teasing him.

Ryder gave a small yawn, having been woken up by Hope's shriek of fear as they went through the rock face. He rubbed his eyes, slowly sitting up and stretching.

"Nah it's alright, I can always get the seats fixed." Ryan shrugged and began to drive up the road.

Hope slowly unstuck herself from the seats.

"Are you alrigh-" Ryder was cut off by another yawn, rubbing his eyes.

She turned her head toward the back seat, giving Ryder a small smile. "I am functioning." Hope appreciated his caring nature. She turned in the seat as much as the seat belt would allow, reaching back and ruffling his hair. She had seen Kino do this to him once, so she assumed it was a gesture of reassurance.

"Yo! Old man, are we almost there?" Kino leaned over the seats to ask, looking out of the windshield at the road.

"I ain't that old. A hundred ain't old." Ryan huffed as he pulled into Sorcha's driveway, turning the car off as he looked up at the cottage. It didn't look much different than he remembered, still the same three room additions as the last time he was here. "Yeah, we're here."

Ryder peeked over Malt to look at the house. It seemed big, but not bigger than Zareth's Place had been. It was clearly big enough for more than just one person, though.

Opening the door for Ryder, Kino took his hand as he helped him out of the car.

[Stay close, little one. I smell something...familiar.] Malt said as she looked up at Ryder.

Kino stuffed his other hand in his pocket, waiting on Ryan. "Lead on, old man."

Ryan shut his car door and went up to the house, gently knocking on the door.

There was silence for a moment and then Sorcha opened the door, looking at her brother. "Look at you, you don't look a day over thirty."

Ryan chuckled, shaking his head. "Says the ninety-two year old that looks twenty-nine."

Ryder looked up at the woman, watching her in awe. He had never seen someone like her before! "Wow! She's really tall!" He said as he looked up at Kino, trying to compare the heights of Sorcha and Kino with just his sight. Ryder nodded to himself, noting that Omino seemed to be taking after their Uncle with his height, while Kira would probably stay the same height she currently was.

The combination of the two made Kino taller than most kids his age.

Sorcha chuckled a little at Ryder's surprised outburst. "I'm only five foot six, dear." She moved aside to let them all in.

Despite the house having three added rooms, it felt...empty.

"Now, why are you all here? Ryan, I haven't seen you since Inky died." Sorcha raised an eyebrow. She was a little curious about this sudden appearance by her brother.

Ryan rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, well…"

Sorcha shook her head, clearly wanting to change the subject. "Now, who are all of you?"

Malt trotted over and laid down beside Ryder, who was standing patiently beside the others. Her tail wound around his leg.

Ryder patted Malt's shoulder, making sure she was alright.

Kino spoke first. "I'm Kino, and this is also me…"

There was a soft 'pop' as Kira unfused them and stood beside Omino, trying to make herself seem tall. "Hi. I'm Kira and this is my younger brother Omino, That's our baby brother Ryder, and our dragon sister Malt."

They all bowed respectfully. Something Kino probably wouldn't have done.

Sorcha watched them, shaking her head as she sat down on the couch. "I appreciate the gesture of respect, but you kids don't have to do that."

Ryan sat down after Sorcha did. "Kira and Omino are Otto's kids, sis." Something about Sorcha's demeanor made him worry. Had he missed something while he'd been gone?

Sorcha nodded. "I figured, but this one here reminds me of Zareth." She pointed to Hope, giving her a smile.

Hope gave Sorcha a nod of confirmation. "It would be because I am his daughter, or at least that's what I've been told." She looked at Sorcha, and then glanced around the house. "It is quiet here. You have three extra rooms, but...where is your family?" She didn't know if it would be rude of her to ask such questions.

Sorcha fell silent for a moment, then took a breath and looked at Hope. She smiled. "The kids grew up and moved out, and Cygnus…" She seemed to tense, fingers digging into the fabric of the couch as though she were trying to distract herself.

Ryan raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, where is that goofball? I know I've been away for a while but-"

"He died, Ryan. About fifteen years ago, but you wouldn't know that, because you cut off contact with most of humanity when your wife died. Thirty-one years and you couldn't even call your own sister. It's been more than just 'a while'."

"Listen-" Ryan began attempting to defend his choice to essentially drop off the face of the earth.

"No, you listen! I get that she died and we were all absolutely devastated. I understand the pain of loss. I get it. It hurt. But for fucks sake, you could've checked on your family in the span of thirty-one years, Ry-" Sorcha forced herself to swallow the lump in her throat, wiping at her eyes. "Forget it." Her voice cracked when she spoke. "It's fine."

"Sorcha-" Ryan reached out to place his hand on her shoulder, but hesitated.

"I said drop it." Her muscles tensed, as though she were holding herself back. Sorcha did her best to try and stay calm. "It's...fine. Now, why are you all of you here?"

Kira pulled Omino closer and fused back into Kino, who was now standing in front of Hope protectively. Yet his hands were in his pockets, and he was looking up at Sorcha. His eyes shifted to an icy blue for a moment as Zareth's voice came from him instead. "Sorcha, babe. It's best to be sad once today instead of twice later, so I better tell you before we continue. Danika and Julien passed away. Ryan told us when we met up with him yesterday, he was giving them their final send off when we arrived. We knew it would happen eventually. Unfortunately, Otto's gone too. The way he passed was a bit more...gruesome." He cleared his throat. "As to why we're here, well..." Zareth motioned to Hope with Kino's hand. "She needs your help, beautiful. Hope lost her memory after something cracked her noggin."

Sorcha looked up at the Zareth possessed Kino, listening to him talk. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes, but she didn't speak. In fact she went from expressionless to a smile quite quickly. "I'm sure they're fine." She never did process death right away. It always took her a few days. "You don't need to worry about me shifting from lack of control. I wouldn't hurt Hope."

Ryan cleared his throat, a little hesitant to speak after the earful his sister had given him. "Do you think you can h-"

"Help her? Yes. Might fry my computer, but I can do it. Zareth, can you keep hold of Kino long enough to do this?" Sorcha got up off the couch and began to head toward the basement door.

Zareth shook his head. "No." He laughed, following Sorcha.

Oh, that laugh. Hope smiled at the sound of it.

"But...I can keep hold of Hope." He said with another laugh.

"You seem so happy even though it could harm you and Kino." Hope frowned, a little confused by his cheerful demeanor. She knew what they would attempt had a large percentage of risk attached, so why did he seem so calm?

Zareth shrugged. "Ah, there's no reason to be afraid. If something happens to me, there's a few others in here that can help." He tapped his head. "They're really nice people. Well, except for Glass. He has his moments. If you ever meet him, he'll remind you of Kino. They're a bit similar."

Sorcha opened the door to the basement,heading down the stairs and leading everyone. "It'll take me a moment to find the wires, can you two lay down?"

Ryan sat down in a nearby chair, looking at Malt. "...Think she's mad at me?"

Malt huffed and gave a soft warble as she licked her paw, rubbing it over her face to clean it. [Do not sleep alone, though I do not think she will kill you. Perhaps the silent treatment will be given.]

Ryder laughed, watching the reaction on Ryan's face.

Ryan looked confused.

"Malt says yes." Of course Ryder wasn't going to tell him what she actually said, it was a little funny to watch Ryan trying to understand Malt.

Zareth held Hope's hand and led her down the stairs. "Yes, we can lay down. Be careful though. I like naps." He winked at Sorcha.

Sorcha chuckled and grabbed cords from a nearby drawer, pausing when she saw the dusty VR helmet on the computer console. She took a breath and shook her head. No, she couldn't think about anything else right now, especially the past. Her mind needed to be clear and focused for the procedure she was about to do. Then she looked to Hope lying on the table. "Alright, ports open."

Zareth helped Hope onto the examination table and plugged her in. "See you on the inside, Sugar." He laid down on the table next to hers, feeling Sorcha plug the other cord into Kino's port.

Sorcha sat down between the two of them, counting down before she pressed the button. "In three, two…"

One.

Kino's body twitched, and Zareth shivered internally. It honestly felt as though he were sliding through his mind, right back into his subconscious.

With Zareth gone into the processor, Kino regained control of his body and sat up, careful not to remove the cord. He frowned, looking around at everyone. "Why's everyone lookin' at me?"

Sorcha watched Kino, shaking her head. "You lay back down, alright? I want this to go well. We're trying to help Hope."

Kino saw Hope laying down on the table beside him. He laid back down, closing his eyes. "I see them. They're alright."

Hope watched the man in front of her, taking a deep breath to try and steady her nerves. "Hello, my name is Hope. I am your...daughter." Her voice caught in her throat, nerves getting the better of her. She had always been told that first introductions were the most important. She wanted to make a good first impression.

Zareth smiled at her. "Hey there, Sweetheart. I'm Zareth. I'm your dad." He pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly. "I'm a dad…" He breathed out, trying his best to not cry.

Outside of the processor, Kino noticed he was crying. He reached up and wiped the tears off of his face with a smile. "They're alright."

A sudden gasp left Kino moments later, and he gripped his head tightly, as though he had a migraine. "Wait-" He could hardly get his words out. "Something is...wrong-"

Sorcha wheeled her chair over to Kino, looking him over to check for any external signs of damage, but she saw nothing. No smoke, no sparks. She didn't understand. "What is it?"

Kino held his chest, letting out a sharp grunt of pain. "I ca-" He wheezed, trying to force himself to speak so Sorcha would understand. "Memories. I can see...everything she remembers."

Back inside the processor, Zareth held onto Hope as memories floated past him and all over the walls. He smiled when a brief memory of Danny floated past them. "Ah...my Dannygirl. Always so beautiful."

 _Danny's guns came online and began to shoot at the large black beasts that were attacking. She slammed the door and ran over to Hope._

" _Baby listen to me. Shhhh...listen. I know you're scared." She took hold of Hope's hands and looked at the door as it began to bow inwards. "Daddy loves you and so does Mommy. Don't you ever forget that. I know he isn't here, but as long as you can find Kino...he will care for you. He's not your Daddy, but he is a friend of mine. Kino is mean sometimes, but it's only because he doesn't know you well enough. Find common ground." She looked back up as the door hit the wall and clattered to the floor._

" _Roy, put her back into the tank!" Danny yelled, trying to hold the beasts back._

 _Hope looked around for Roy when her mother had belted out the instructions to him. Then, she stopped as a horrified expression slowly crossing her face._

 _Roy had been smashed to pieces by the sheer force of impact that was created when the door was forcibly busted from the frame._

" _Roy!" Danny called out, whipping her head around when she heard the metallic thud of Roy's body hitting the floor._

 _Pieces of Roy were strewn all over the floor._

Hope's body twitched on the examination table as she tried to turn the memories off. Everything hurt, and it felt like her mind was screaming at her.

Sorcha went over to Hope and gently rubbed her cheek, trying to calm her. "Hey, hey you're alright. Sometimes memories hurt."

Zareth smiled. "Yeah, I wondered who told ya that, Beauty." Zareth knew Sorcha wouldn't hear him talking, but he laughed anyway and rubbed Hope's back in an attempt to soothe her. "Listen ta her, babe. She knows how it is. Just let it come."

Hope let out a pained gasp as another memory came flooding back.

 _A woman with black tar all over her came through the now missing door, glaring at Danny with bright crimson eyes. It looked as though she had walked through mud or ink, smudges present on her skin as well as various scars._

" _Lyndell." Danny spat, guns still online and humming. She would be ready to strike if Lyndell made a move._

" _We want the sun." Lyndell sneered, as though she were certain that speaking to Danny was beneath her._

 _Danny pointed up, mocking Lyndell's request. "Good luck with that. 'Cause as far as I know, no one can get there."_

" _The power of stars is close enough…" A malicious grin crossed Lyndell's face as she began walking toward Danny._

The memory faded out as Hope was ejected from Kino's processor. She let out a horrified gasp as realization struck her. Trying to get up, she nearly fell and ripped the cord from her port. She looked panicked, glancing around at everyone. "They want Ryder!"

 _ **End of Part 1**_

 _ **Part 2: Weight of the World**_


End file.
